Free as the Wind (Almost)
by Rainbow Manes
Summary: A cross-over between Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and Bambi. (Don't worry if you don't know the stories, I explain them along the way.) I start off with Spirit returning from his big adventure with the love of his life, and soon he meets Bambi, and his Man-driven world. Soon, Man will be driving both of their worlds, even without directly coming into contact...
1. Chapter 1: A Morning With Spirit

Dawn arrived finally, with plenty of good-morning nickers, a glorious light summer breeze, and the whisper of the land waking up. Spirit, the herd leader (with help from his mother, the boss mare), was up earlier and brighter than the sun, like usual. But today he wasn't alone.

Rain, the beautiful (and fast), formerly Native American mare, was with him. They were like that so much of the time, that rumours had it within the wild herd they were sure to have a baby. There were married through the normal herd customs only a short while ago, when Spirit had finally returned from his adventure with Man.

Everyone but Rain and Little Creek were oblivious to how hard it actually was for the horses, and the Native American boy, to leave the kind tribe. Once Spirit got to know them for how they truly were, he realized they weren't too different from his own 'tribe'. But Rain had lived with that tribe all her life, and was especially close to Little Creek. Even though Native Americans were strongly encouraged to ride horses (or ponies) of their own gender, but Little Creek had taken her under his wing without a second thought.

As Rain and Spirit were quietly grazing together in their new 'sacred place', watching the sun finally start to peek out at the land, a land more wild than even the horse herd, she thought of her own history once more:

Rain was born only nine years ago, to a beautiful Native American mare and the quickest stallion of the tribe, on a warm, but wet night. It was nearing autumn, and all the children without chores were being lazy that day, for their was a light rain lasting all day, which made it too wet (and otherwise unreasonable, for everyone's hiding in some sort of shelter) to go hunting or play games. Which was why they named her Rain.

Soon after she stood up for the first time, some of the older boys of the tribe went to see her, thinking she may be a colt (a boy baby horse), but lost interest when they realized she wasn't. One boy, however, took extreme interest in her-and even more as she grew older, and began racing the other foals. She quickly gained a reputation as the quickest filly (girl baby horse), and then onto the quickest foal. She grew quickly, as well, and became one of the most popular horses of the tribe: she was one of the most beautiful, with gorgeous blue eyes, and a brown/white paint coat; she was the quickest (Little Creek rode her often in races for fun, and she beat everyone, except her father); and she was one of the most gentle and kind mare the tribe had ever seen. These were also the reason Spirit fell in love with her at first sight.

Spirit grew up in a very different culture: he was one of the only foals of the herd leader; the others were mares, who didn't show interest in becoming boss mare. So, he was taught all the necessities of being a strong, clever, quick, and caring leader. Obviously, he was the quickest stallion, or horse for that matter, in the herd. Unfortunately, he never raced his father: the former leader died before Spirit was born. Spirit didn't have an official name until Little Creek named him at their parting. Spirit was bold, strong, determined, and very loyal: almost getting himself killed a few times to save Little Creek and Rain, not to mention all the times he saved his herd. He was a dark buckskin with black lining down his back, a black tail, and a black mane. Sometimes, he could be a bit of a showoff...and stuck-up. He was hailed as a king in his herd; not used to being disrespected. And, before meeting Rain, he would race a close friend, a very fast bald eagle. Several times he would pass under his shadow of wings, and felt he must be flying. Even the big racing thoroughbreds we see today couldn't compare. He glanced over lazily as he noticed Rain stop pulling up grass for a moment.

Back in the large clearing, Esperanza (Spirit's mother) was gently waking everyone up, already aware Spirit was with Rain. Like usual, she guided them along their route to the river where they always had their morning drink. Sometimes, the herd would run wildly through it and over the overgrown grass, which they would feed on later.

Esperanza was wise and gentle-the perfect mother for Spirit. She was always able to pull the herd through, even in tough times. She mirrored Spirit's coloring, but her coat lighter, and she had cream-colored mane and tail, versus black. Spirit warned her of Man, but she thought nothing could ever penetrate their safe haven: this was her birthplace; the place that was never dangerous; the place thousands of animals lived on everyday; only rain, snow, and the wind ever changed. That's they it's been for generations, how could it suddenly change now? Nobody disagreed with her logic, and if anyone had, they wouldn't dare say it out loud. As they waited for Spirit to come for his morning drink and lead the herd to a nice field for grazing, some of the foals began playing. Esperanza smiled lovingly as they splashed and ran just as Spirit had done the day he met a buffalo.

She took a drink from the cool water. Her whole life, this river had always flowed. It never changed, never dried up, never flooded or tried to nab her son away. Why change now?


	2. Chapter 2: Bambi's Fawns

Bambi looked on with pride as their mother, Faline, gently nudged them with her muzzle. He was overlooking his newborn twins, a boy and a girl, both happy and healthy, if a bit confused or shy, from his hiding place high above. Before passing away, the Great Prince before him taught Bambi all his tricks: especially how he mysteriously knew everything about everyone, and how to appear seemingly out of nowhere.

Gurri, the younger, and future Princess of the Forest, was very tired, and began falling asleep snuggled close to her mother's side. Geno, the other twin, and future Great Prince of the Forest, was the complete opposite: he looked as if he may jump of excitement at any moment. The large group of animal friends began moving away when they noticed the fawns' reactions, and supposed it was time for them to rest. No one knew, other than Faline, that their father was the Great Prince.

Only a few days after their birth, Faline took them to the Meadow. She met her doe friends there, with their fawns, and the grazing and playing began. As Faline watched them play, she couldn't help but remember her own twin brother, and the times she, Bambi, and Gobo all played together. That winter...She shuddered, and tried her best to shake off the memories of that terrible winter from her head. It was time to focus on her fawns, and be grateful they were both strong and healthy.

[Sorry this is so short, but I will add more very soon!]


	3. Chapter 3: Young and Free

-4 Months Later-

It was early morning, and still dark. Gurri's blue eyes (just like her mother's) searched frantically for Faline. Geno was still asleep, like usual. But this was not a normal morning. Yesterday Geno and Gurri had heard rumors that Man had come to the forest again, and was setting traps, tracking deer, and lying in wait with that terrible weapon.

Normally, Geno and Gurri would go off and play with some of the other forest animals; this morning they went back to their old behavior when Mother was gone. Not even the Great Prince of the Forest could shame them now: all the animals with any sense were in hiding. Except for Faline-she hadn't heard any rumors about Man for the past year. But still, when she noticed everyone else was settled down in their burrows this fine day, she would surely come back, right?

Geno's eyes opened. Being more rash than his twin sister, Gurri had taken it upon herself to look after him. She shook off her fear and some dead leaves and went to lay back down at his side. Maybe if she could get him to stay sleepy, he wouldn't start to worry...again. Yesterday, after hearing of Man's approach on the Forest, he had grown very scared and cried all night. Gurri had assumed Faline would stay after this, but she didn't, and that worried her even more. But maybe Bambi will look after her.

"Shhh! You'll wake them!" Rain scolded the colt.

"But they're sleeping like bears hibernating!" Replied the colt, staring in wonder at Rain's newborn napping with an older filly. Nevertheless, he backed off and tried to be very quiet.

"Here comes the father!" and "Spirit's here!" rippled through the herd as they gathered around the little foal.

Esperanza looked on especially proudly as Spirit nuzzled his foal for the first time. She came up to the little one to meet her new grandchild. "It's a filly."

"Her name will be Geist." Rain decided. It had taken Spirit and Rain months to decide on a proper name for the foal. It was even harder not knowing if it would be a boy or girl. But she was girl; a pretty dun tobiano color, with her mother's frame and her father's eyes. She had also her father's dark brown muzzle and socks, and his dark brown mane and tail mixed with Rain's light-colored mane and tail.

The day Spirit was born, Esperanza knew he would be an unusual and amazing mustang. And she knew right then that Geist would be a stunning mare and possibly one of the best leaders the pack had ever known. Suddenly, a shot rang out.

[Please let me know if you readers have any ideas you want me to incorporate or want me change anything, and thank you so much for taking the time to read this!]


	4. Chapter 4: The Gunshots

Geist was the first to react by opening her eyes. They were showing lots of white for fear. The rest of the herd froze in panic for a second before scattering. Spirit, Rain, and Esperanza all stayed with the newborn and tried to coax her up. If they could just get to that cover of trees, they would surely be safe. But Geist could not be moved. No matter how much she tried, as any foal couldn't stand up so quickly after birth, she could not get up-much to the dismay of her parents and grandmother. And so, they could only stop and lay still and wait for Man to leave. Again.

Geno jumped up, and would have screamed if Gurri hadn't immediately tackled him to the ground for fear Man would hear even movement. But Geno was scared out of his wits; he attempted to run out of their little home and find Mother's side. Gurri saw it coming and blocked the way.

"Man will see you; kill you!" She hissed.

"I want to see Mother!" Geno was crying now.

"Now He will hear us!" Tears were now running down her cheeks.

Geno looked into his twin sister's blue eyes, pleading. She gave in reluctantly.

"If you get killed, I'm not coming after you."

She lay back down on the soft bed that Bambi's mother's mother had made not so long ago, and cried. Another shot was heard and she was running in her brother's prints.

Geist was somehow able to make it into the shade of a small group of trees. Rain lay down beside her and tried to comfort Geist and herself. Spirit looked around with a suspicious look in his eyes and sniffed the wind. By now, he had learned the smell of Man. He could not detect any Man, but at times like this he didn't always trust all of his senses.

A few hours passed. Or at least it felt like hours. The sun continued to shine; the birds were starting to call for each other and find new hiding spots or check on loved ones; a single wild cat was seen darting through the trees away from the herd; the world had not ended, as all the animals had expected it to. Which is a bit surprising, considering Man 'visited' so often.

Geist was able to stand finally and the family moved to the hiding place of the rest of the herd. They were all so frightened still they could not speak.

Geno and Gurri didn't see their mother for the rest of the day. They had heard plenty of stories about deer mothers going missing without a trace before, and completely feared that happening to theirs. Maybe they didn't mind the thought of danger to themselves, and therefore could go very near to where the gunshots were heard without fear.

Without warning, a giant brown blur raced across their path. Gurri feared it was a dog before it stopped and stared at them in equal wonder. It was the Great Prince of the Forest! He narrowed his eyes at the two of them before urging them to follow him. He had to whisper to them a "Do you want to die?!" in his deep voice before they could find the strength to move. They darted forward after him.

Gurri and Geno may have enjoyed the rush of brown, gold, red, and green as they charged through the trees with a grace paralleled only by butterflies. They might even had wished it never to end, that they wouldn't have to stop at Bambi's little home and wait with a fear that was even stronger than their hunger would be during the winter. They snuggled against the Prince and hoped Faline would be safe in their den by noon. Bambi didn't protest, but not out of fear. He had seen plenty of animals die at the hands of Man to understand and accept the natural cycle of life and death. Although Man was not natural, He is nonetheless forever playing a part in it. But he did worry for the twins' mother.

Faline, luckily, wasn't even anywhere near the Meadow when the first shots rang out. After she heard the loud Bang!s, she hid in the nearest bush. It was difficult for a deer her size, but she managed it. When she had been very young, they had played a form of hide-and-go-seek. Now she was playing a hide-and-go-seek with the prize being her life.

Faline had assumed that her fawns would stay in their den when they heard the shots, or would run straight to it and hide. But after awhile she started to get a bad feeling, and worried about what they might have done out of fear. She mentally scolded herself for ever having left them alone so young. Her mother had done it to her, and so Faline thought it must be ok-no, good, for it taught them how to be independent and grown-up, plus the bonus of getting to know the fellow forest inhabitants and the Forest itself. But now she saw the error of her ways. She hoped this funny feeling was just something her mind had made up.

[Should I have Spirit and Bambi meet soon, or later? I already planned on Geist and Gurri and Geno meeting very soon.]


	5. Chapter 5: Home

The forest's shadow was very long before anyone had the nerve to leave their hiding spots. Faline waited until the sun was near setting, and she was half-hidden by the dark as she made her way home. She always hated when Man came. It was almost worse than winter alone.

Bambi cautiously made his way out of the hiding spot and checked the surrounding area. If the rumours he heard as he made his way through the forest guiding the youngsters home were to be true, then the Forest suffered many casualties this time: a young buck caught by surprise, a few small birds, and a goose. At least they could breathe easy for a little while-Man would have quite a meal tonight.

Faline was practically frantic with worry when she found her fawns gone. But when the Great Prince himself came, leading them to her, she went completely silent. Her forest friends stopped their chatter when they saw him, too, and waited with bated breath as he came forward with Gurri and Geno. The two little ones rushed forward to their mother with fresh tears starting to sparkle in their eyes. Faline nuzzled them tenderly and welcomed them to their little bed.

Bambi watched them embrace and turned back to his hidden path towards his own home. There were equal perks and downsides to being a prince. Loneliness and watching loved ones walk away were the most painful of all. Just as he was disappearing into the trees, however, he could swear he heard a whispered 'thank you'.

Spirit and his herd took a little bit longer getting over the shot. They weren't as used to hearing as strange noises as that. Spirit knew how to take on a cougar, but not a gunshot. He had seen Rain shot before, but it completely baffled him how guns worked. Rain was too busy with their newborn filly to focus on figuring out Man. Spirit feared the colonel had returned to their haven to capture them all. There had to be some place for them to hide.

That night, no one slept well. Spirit ignored Esperanza's advice, going round and round the herd, as if making a wall. Rain noticed he seemed to pass Geist and her three times more than anyone else.

Spirit's friend, the Eagle, came by. Spirit was greatly relieved to see he was ok. The Eagle also got to meet Geist for the first time. It wasn't at all the happy celebration Spirit had anticipated. Nonetheless, Geist seemed to enjoy her new friend, and future racing mate.


	6. Chapter 6: G, G, and G

_When I ran, my body became a powerful river. When I ran, the wind became my wings. When I ran, my legs disappeared into a haze of cool white. When I ran, the sky opened up into a blur of blue and white. When I ran, the ground fell away and I soared higher than any eagle._

Geist has become such a fine young mare! Since the day Man had visited on her birthday, Geist had spent her days playing with the other foals, grazing when she was too tired to do much else, and racing with the Eagle. She had come to name him Rayo, for his speed. He was an excellent racing partner: always challenging her a bit more every day, but somehow losing at the last second every time. But today Rayo really had to try, for he was now past his prime, and Geist was the daughter of the two fastest horses he knew.

On this particular run, Geist couldn't have been happier. She used every wild mustang trick known, including a few she had made up to beat Rayo. But today he suddenly turned and flew into the nearby forest. Since the shooting, Spirit had warned her to never get too close. But surely it would be ok with her speed and Rayo, right? The eagle flitted through the top branches of the trees at top speed while the young mustang was dodging and jumping fallen logs and tree branches hanging in the way. She was surprised how much she loved running in this green and brown blur compared to the open fields where the herd lived. On this kind of track, she would be able to outrun anything, especially this mysterious 'Man' all the animals whispered about.

Thinking about Man, Geist became distracted and suddenly found herself on top of a pony-sized brown form. She immediately jumped up and began apologizing. Being a proud mustang, she half-expected apologies back. But the strange horse she ran into simply sat there, not bothering to get up as they stared in amazement at each other.

Neither knew what to say. Eventually, the brown one finally brought herself to say "You run fast!" She finally stood up and Geist saw she wasn't a horse at all, but a young adult deer. And, from the looks of it, was a she. Her blue eyes twinkled as she smiled and introduced herself. "I'm Gurri. I live in the den right over there-" She jerked her head in the direction of a thick stand of trees. With slight embarrassment, Geist did the same. "I'm Geist; nice to meet you." She looked back for any sign of home. "Well, I live somewhere over there."

"You live in the Meadow?!" Another young deer came forward, except this one had antlers starting to grow. "Geno..." Gurri rolled her eyes at Geist.

"You know each other?"

"Yep, brother and sister."

"So, you actually live in the Meadow?"

"My entire herd lives there."

Gurri's eyes widened in wonder. "Mother told us that there were another form of deer living in a giant meadow, racing each other with speeds unheard of, but we thought they were just stories!"

Geist didn't know what to say. The two deer hounded her with questions about Man, the Meadow, horses, and Rayo. Geist had never thought that there might be animals living right next door that had never seen an eagle before. The sky was turning a beautiful mixture of purple, red, orange, and pink before Geist started for home again.

Her head was swimming as Rayo led her at a steady trot back. She would definitely be talking to Spirit and Rain about the Forest. Since the shooting, they had shied from any mention of it or Man. But if they didn't answer, Geist vowed to go back and talk to the deer again...If she didn't go back anyway.

Geist yawned to the stars and shook herself awake long enough to trot to a distant dark form that was her herd.


	7. Chapter 7: Fire

The herd was awakened before the sun began to rise. All the horses stared in confusion at their sleepy neighbors, wondering what could possibly be wrong. It was the first time since anyone could remember that they weren't awoken peacefully.

It had been Rayo who brought the dreadful news from the forest: Fire had returned to eat up their home. It was the first time the horses had ever heard of the fire so close that Rayo could see it from his highest perch. Before, they had only heard of rumours and stories about fires from tiny squirrels, who were rarely believed.

Rain and Spirit, of course, had had plenty of experience with terrible fires and the destruction it caused. To Man it was only material damage, but to animals it was Death itself.

The three leaders gathered the panicking herd together, and headed straight for where Rayo indicated was safest-the stream, where the herd always went for a drink of water, a bath, and to communicate with the buffalo. This third thing was introduced by Spirit, who was inspired early in his life as a foal, when he had come face to face with the leader. They weren't nearly as close as with Rayo, but nonetheless they met and talked about the surrounding land every once in a while.

His name was Thunder, and for good reason-he was tough in spirit and body, strong, and smart-not to mention bigger than the average buffalo. Spirit thought he was one of the bravest animals of the land. This morning, however, he thought he saw a flash of fear in the old buffalo's eyes. When Thunder saw Spirit, he quickly made his way over.

"You would be wise to prepare for the worst." He said in his lowest voice, so low Spirit could scarcely understand him.

"It hasn't reached the grass though, right?" Spirit glanced nervously at the surrounding grasslands.

Thunder didn't answer as he turned away to settle down his own herd. Spirit walked with a heavy heart back to his herd, who watched him with scared eyes, as if he could charge the flames and force them far away from the surrounding forest.

Gurri and Geno were playing in the Meadow when they heard of the fire. Well, more like heard the fire itself-it had started in a little clearing Man liked to use for camping. Then it just grew bigger and bigger, until it was completely out of control.

Just as Geno was taking a bite of grass, a giant swarm of all the animals he could think of crashed into the Meadow. A few seconds later, the flames themselves could be seen flickering in the shadow of the trees.

All the deer, birds, and other animals playing or eating near Geno cried out and ran. Geno was completely frozen by fear. The flames crackled closer, and he still could not move, too afraid to look away. Gurri immediately noticed her brother wasn't with her, and ran back just in time to save him.

She turned his head away from the flames and yelled a jumble of words at him to get his attention. With his eyes no longer on the lights growing bigger and brighter, he could finally bring himself to move.

They ran alongside all the other terrified deer, rabbits, squirrels, and any other forest animal you could think of. The only thing missing from this horrific scene was Man. Gurri seemed to be the only one worried about him suddenly showing up, as all the other animals ran towards the pond, blinded by fear.

Suddenly, a great brown shape obstructed the path. It appeared to have two tall branches stuck on top of its head. Everyone froze to stare at it. It was the Great Prince.

"We will have to make our way to the stream, away from the pond." He said in his deep yet gentle voice.

"You're crazy; it's on the other side of the forest! By the time we get there, half of us will be part of the fire!" A squeaky voice retorted.

Bambi's eyes flashed. Half the crowd gasped; no one could remember ever seeing the Prince tense.

"Then we'll have to take that chance." This time, his voice sounded more demanding. Gurri and Geno didn't hesitate. As the Prince followed them to the stream, which was located at the very edge of the forest, the others started to fall into a line. If nothing else, it was a relief to walk or jog at a normal pace.

As they shuffled along, Gurri couldn't help but wonder why Bambi was taking them away from the pond. It has always been safe before. Man couldn't have taken it over, right? But she couldn't possibly ask the Prince, especially at a time like this.

Unlike what the squirrel had predicted, they came nowhere near a fire. Everyone let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the stream. Animals of all forest types plus a few Grasslanders jumped into the water and collected in a big group around it. Hardly anyone spoke. There were a few whimpers and a whisper or two, but mostly everyone stayed silent, gazing around the surrounding area with wide eyes.

Gurri and Geno, of course, were especially scared, but felt better standing near Bambi. They were also happy to glimpse Geist and her herd farther down the stream, next to a large group of giant, fat deer with tiny horns. Were these the buffalo Geist was talking about?

Geist saw them and snuck her way over to them. She gave them a timid smile in hopes of making them braver and more cheerful in the face of Fire. Bambi watched her closely but didn't say anything to her.

Just as Geist was going to greet Gurri and Geno, a bunch of ducks burst from the trees with shrieks of horror. Everyone except Bambi jumped out of their skin at the sound of two gunshots.


End file.
